The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association football playoff schedule is set to begin Friday with 64 total teams taking part in 16 regions.

It has already been a wonderful season for these teams and their fans. They've seen great football from the expected powers and from the unexpected. They've seen teams face adversity and overcome it. And they've seen unbelievable achievements.

No. 1 ranked River Hill completed its third straight undefeated regular season.

Century, which had not had a winning season in its eight-year history, not only had a winning season, but also an undefeated one.

In fact, all together, 11 teams will enter postseason play with unblemished regular-season records.

Joppatowne would have made it a dozen, except for learning it had an ineligible player that caused the forfeit of its first three victories this season. It was a blow that could have wound up eliminating the Mariners from postseason competition, but Joppatowne just kept winning and wound up 7-3 and the No. 2 seed in Class 1A East.

In another quirk, in the 1A West, Smithsburg went 10-0 but is the No. 2 seed behind 8-1 Fort Hill because of the MPSSAA's point qualifying system.

Eight other teams flirted with perfection, going 9-1, including Dunbar, which was picked No. 1 in The Baltimore Sun's preseason poll, but lost by a single point, 33-32, to Gwynn Park in its season opener. The Poets chewed on that loss all season, using it as inspiration to manhandle every other team they played.

For their efforts, they've maintained the No. 3 ranking in The Sun's poll all season and earned the No. 1 seed in 1A South.

And at Fallston, the Cougars went 7-3 and made the playoffs for the first time in that school's 31-year varsity history. They're seeded No. 2 in 3A East. Wilde Lake is No. 1 in longtime coach Doug DuVall's last season.

Given what we've already seen, the state playoffs promise a rollicking good time.

-- Sandra McKee